Four days in Venice

The people are one of the highlights and sitting at an outdoor cafe watching the world go by seems to be one of the most popular habits of locals and tourists. The Palazzo Ducale and St. Marks Square (see separate journals) are must sees. Ride the vaporetto (water bus) for a full circuit as a way to see the city. En route stop at Lido. (a separate island) It is quite different from the main part of Venice. (It even has roads and cars) Those interested in glass blowing may wish to venture to Murano. There are lots of sales people wanting to take you there to 'watch the masters work'.

Quick Tips:

Most expensive method of transportation is the gondola rides. Do it for the 'romantic adventure' if you wish, but not just for a ride. We found some stores had signs indicating they took Mastercard, Visa, etc. but when you made a purchase they wouldn't accept them at all or they said no there was a minimum purchase amount of about before they would accept them. Wander around aimlessly for a few hours. You will always find something interesting.

Best Way To Get Around:

The vaporetto is the best way to travel from one area to another. Walking is OK if you know where you are going or if you don't care where you are going. Try to keep your sense of direction to the grand canal or you may get lost as streets are not orderly. Water taxis are expensive, gondolas even more so.

The most interesting part was getting the room. We hadn't booked prior to arrival and probably looked like we didn't know where we were going. We were immediately set upon by a gentleman with a book showing pictures of his room and price. We told him too expensive, so he brought over his friend Bruno with his book and cheaper rooms. We took a room from Bruno and he whizzed us down to the Vaporetto (water bus) and said 'Get off at #17, Paulo will be there.' Sure enough, Paulo was there; he took most of our luggage and headed for our room. Our room was up three flights; it did look like the pictures and was quite satisfactory. We had a small bathtub, sink, bidet in the bathroom. The room was a decent size, and the bed was good. It looked very modern. Breakfast was continental style (included in the price) and very basic, but got us going for the day. Recommended for those on a budget who still want their own bathroom.

It is a pink building which served as the home and government centre of the dukes of Venice. We entered by the Giant's staircase, beautifully gilded stucco. We were given earphones which tell you in English historical information about the room you are in and its contents. I highly recommend getting these, it makes the tour much more interesting. There are famous paintings by Tintoretto and Veronese. We toured through the prisons and on through the 'Bridge of Sighs' a connecting hallway which goes over the water between two buildings. Called the bridge of sighs because of the sighs of prisoners being taken to the inquisition. We toured an armoury of sorts which included various devices of torture.

St. Mark's Square is around stop #16 on the Vaporetto. It is a huge square and quite often a home to thousands of birds. The edges of the square are covered with outdoor restaurants and at prime time these are busy with diners and those just wishing to have a drink, relax and watch the world go by. St. Mark was a martyr in the time of the Roman Empire. His remains are in the church. Behind his tomb is the Golden Alter. We paid to see the treasures, but they were not all that wonderful. The ceiling shows the creation of the world including Adam &Eve, Noah's Ark, the crucifixion and the Ascension and last supper. There are beautiful tiles on the floor and mosaic tiles on the ceiling. Guide said Venice is sinking, the church is flooded every year. The floors are all uneven and pillars are leaning.

Everyone goes to St. Marks, the Palazzo Ducale and takes a gondola ride. What else can you do? We had four days in Venice and other than the above consider the following. For art lovers, there is much to see. Almost every church has paintings of the likes of Tintoretto. The Scuda Grande Di San Rocco is excellent with many famous paintings of religious focus. We also went to the Peggy Guggenheim museum house where mostly impressionist art and some modern art is displayed. Ride the Vaporetto (water bus) for a complete cycle. It is cheap and the best way to get a view of the whole area. Get off at Lido (separate island) and spend an hour or two wandering there. We found a nice beach area. Go to Murano and watch the master glass blowers work. Just wander through the city looking at shops etc., stop for a drink at a sidewalk cafe and watch the world go by. Try to get to know some of the people and talk to them. Our hotel owner, Bruno, was very interesting. He told us of his holiday in Africa. He said he wanted to go back soon before the American Mafia ruined the area. If you didn't do it getting there take a day trip on the train to Switzerland and back. The best scenery you will ever see. Another tip. Italy has some interesting differences in some of their eating places. At the train station if you buy a beer and stand to drink it their is one price, if you want to sit down it costs more. We saw a couple of very uptight Americans who couldn't understand paying $5 for a beer and not being able to sit and drink it. Bruno tried to explain it, but with limited success.